|
By Brenda Padilla
The charming rusticity many associate with the "typical" Andalusian
home is more realistically derived from the sprawling farm houses
known here as cortijos - a luxury traditionally belonging to a
very small minority of wealth land owners. Today, while not everyone
has anything near a cortijo, the Spanish "country style" is
a popular decorating theme, one that can be as easy or hard on
your pocketbook as you like.
The beauty of rustic decoration in Andalucía
is that often the most easily available local materials are all
you need to re-create
your dream. Rustic tiles, for starters, come in all shapes and
sizes, as well as price ranges. What's more, if you choose to tile
an entire home in one type of rustic tile you are sure to obtain
a discount, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how a basic
terracotta can be combined with a wide array of colours to create
very different ambiences throughout the house.
If, on the other hand, you wish to use a wide variety
of country-style tiles, you will find many designs, including
beautiful hand
painted pieces. A word of advice though, no matter how charming
DIY tiling might appear, those without experience might be better
off hiring a professional. This is because, no matter how rustic
the results of your work, improperly laid tiles will surely be
a source of future headaches as they drop off the wall or crack
on the floor.
Standard bricks and mortar are also a favourite
source of decoration for real country-style living. Use the thin
bricks without the
cement covering, or "enfoscado" as it is called in Spanish,
to create dividing walls, arches, fireplaces, planter boxes and
other interior features with a rugged look. Locally produced marble
and granite are also available for creative projects - at surprisingly
low cost.
Iron is another key ingredient in local homes with
a traditional look. Many shops throughout this area sell a wide
variety of iron
furnishings and accessories as well as window and door grates.
If you are looking for a custom design, sketch it to the best of
your ability and then order from a shop in town or head for your
local industrial park ("polígono industrial",
in Spanish) and ask for "un taller de cerrajería",
where you will probably get a better deal.
Antiques and antique look-a-likes can be found either at traditional
antique stores or at the mercadillos which each town hosts once
or twice a week, usually at the fairgrounds. If you are especially
serious about tracking down antiques and building materials from
old homes, you would do well to dedicate your weekends to visiting
small pueblos and country areas and chatting up the natives for
information about good finds - an excellent reason to work on your
Spanish!
Moving away from antiques and into the realm of
country furnishings, there are two towns famous for producing
a Spanish "Provencal" style
furniture; Ronda in Málaga province and Lucena in Cordoba.
In both cases the pieces have a distinct country aire. However,
there are other types of furniture available in this category and
they can be found either by hunting for examples in conventional
furniture shops or by going directly to foreign import stores or
large warehouses in industrial parks. For instance, El Viso industrial
park just outside Málaga has a warehouse with a very nice
price/quality relationship called "Rustica" that is located
just past the entrance, about 200 metres beyond Café Castel.
Regarding furniture, it is helpful to be aware that Spanish furniture
shops, whether in town or in industrial parks, seldom sell items
directly off the floor. Instead you must order from what you see
and then wait - anywhere from one to several months - for the furniture
to arrive. Furthermore, what you see is seldom all that is available.
In fact, there is often ample opportunity to customise your order.
Therefore, if you see something close to what you like, ask a sales
person to show you the manufacturer's catalogue in order to discover
all the possible sizes, colours and other options available.
Finally, the patio or terrace should receive special
attention as this is one of the most important "rooms" in
a local home. It is here where you will spend hot summer afternoons,
hopefully
under the shade of a lattice laced in grapevines. Other plants
that are traditionally used to flavour country homes in this area
are jasmine and orange trees, both of which sweeten the air and
refresh the soul.
Because so much of local tradition is based on an Arab legacy,
water is also a key feature in homes. Beautifully tiled fountains
are produced in local factories in many shapes and sizes. Surely
you can find the one that suits your taste and adds the sweet sounds
of rushing, flowing waters to quiet ambience in your peaceful patio.
Back to top
| 
